Vasundhara Raje’s tour to southern Rajasthan creates ripples in BJP
The Hindu
Visit set to deepen divide between rival factions in State unit
The ongoing tour of former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to six districts in southern Rajasthan, mainly in the Mewar region, has created ripples in the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in the aftermath of the recent State Assembly byelections, in which the party suffered a humiliating defeat. The visit is set to deepen the divide between rival factions in the State unit.
Ms. Raje, also party national vice-president, is paying obeisance at some prominent temples in the region and visiting the families of the departed party leaders to offer her condolences during the four-day visit. Though she has declared that her tour is “religious” in nature, it is being seen here as a strategy to assert her dominance in the BJP.
A crowd comprising farmers, researchers, professors, students, and horticulture enthusiasts thronged the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru, on Friday for the inaugural ceremony of the Triphal Diversity Show which showcased 300 mango, 100 jackfruit, and 100 banana genotypes in collaboration with ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli.
The State government on Friday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Director-General of Police, Manish Kharbikar of the Economic Offences division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the alleged multi-crore scam in the government-run Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.